Kathryn Robyn
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Make It Perfect!
Your writing needs to express your clear mind, your full heart, and the essence of your spirit. This is true whether your purposes are personal, artistic, business, or academic and whether you are a brand-new writer, a widely published native speaker, or an ESL scholar looking for your first English-language publication. Let me help you get it there.
"Surely perfection is unachievable."
Okay, yes. But we can approach it. This goes way beyond spelling and typos. We can help you create a publishable document,* a text that is free of:
- punctuation, grammar, and syntax errors
- style and consistency errors
- logic and documentation errors
- dropped or missed story points
- unclear target audience
- beige (bland), purple (over-written), confusing, or repetitive prose
and so much more.
"I'm afraid an editor will not 'get me' but will change my work and ruin my sensibility."
Totally understandable fear. Everyone has bad memories of a creation coming back covered in red pencil and a bad grade. But we're all adults here, and you are ultimately in charge. Let me assure you of four points:
- Editing is not writing; that's your job.
- The editor is the writer's friend. Even the most experienced, talented, and published author depends on a second (or third, fourth, and sometimes fifth!) eye.
- I will not only not change the way you see or say things, I can help you bring it out. My secret weapon in editing is a special skill in hearing and maintaining the author's unique voice. That means the writer's sensibilities come first.
- Edited writing should sound "more like you than you": your ideas, your voice, your work … only better.
The Truth Is . . .
You might very well be a genius. But everyone needs an editor. Most of us are too close to our own work to catch the mistakes or see the weaknesses in it. An editor takes your writing to the next level. Serious writers who are still building their reputations or those working to maintain one know they need a professional editor. Do you know which English your targeted publisher uses (US, UK, Canadian, and Australian English have many differences in usage, spelling, punctuation, etc.)? Which style does your publisher require (AP, Chicago, APA, MLA, etc. )?
It used to be that publishers were always looking for the diamond in the rough and had in-house editors to bump the writing to top quality. Now, they want it to arrive perfect. On the other hand, in those days, if English was your second language, you couldn't get published in English unless and until you were famous enough for a translator. But in this global marketplace, translators are widely available and an ESL editor can punch up your translation to smooth out first-language syntax, correct widely misunderstood connotative and idiomatic meanings, and choose which English you're aiming for:
In short, I can help you put it all together.
* Publication is not guaranteed; page design, layout, and printing are not included. This freelance editor is not associated with any publisher—trade, academic or otherwise—or printing company. My commitment is to the work and the author's intention only, Submitting to publishers is the writer's responsibility.